Aucilla Flats Fishing

[PathFinder22]

I am going to fish the flats off the Aucilla river tomorrow. I am taking my 6 yr old nephew for his bday... he loves to fish!! This will be my first time fishing there. I usually fish Carrabelle to St Joe Bay but everyone here at home says the fishing is better over towards Aucilla and Econfina. I usually fish gulp shrimp on pop n cork and mirror lures for trout and reds.

I know there are rocks, oyster beds, etc. over that way so I will be extremely cautious navigating through there.

Any helpful navigational and/or fishing hints would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[onefishtwofish]

You can run in the river at high tide until you get to maybe 1000 yards past the island (you will see it). There is a bar across the river right when you can first see the gulf (it is only exposed at very low tides, but I have bumped it), so slow down. Idle speed is then the rule until you are out past the NWR boundaries-there are some big mean and ugly rocks well outside the mouth of the river. If you have a smaller (like a john boat), a trip there during a winter low tide will be very sobering. Rocks EVERYWHERE! I have lost a prop and a foot there, because I got too cocky about where I could run on plane. The rocks move around and breed at night, so take it slow and you will be fine. Oh yeah, go to the right at the island (west), not to the left. (east) I will run the river at all but very low winter tides but stay right in the middle and watch for the big log just downriver from the ramp. Do you have Seatow? Also, plan your trip based on the tides. If you have a 22' Pathfinder, you are gonna find it difficult to load or unload at anything less than 1 foot of tide. The ramp just drops off, couple of cracks in the concrete and a one foot drop will mess up a trailer. A north or east wind runs the tide out faster than what the tide chart calls for and may leave you out of the mouth for a little while. Just do everything slow and don't get in a hurry and you should be okay. tunnel hulls were invented for places like Aucilla and Econfina, but even they take some local knowledge. Good luck and stay safe.

[One Keeper]

Pathfinder, There's ususally some great fishing from Aucilla to Spring Warrior, one of my favorite places to fish. But right now the water might be still a little to stained from the past rains to produce many bites. From the past fishing reports in this area it seems that way. I would advise to fish Lanark or Carabelle until the water gets back to normal. My .02. Also something to be aware of if you are unfamiliar with the Aucilla area and fishing out of a 22 foot Pathfinder is there's a LOT OF HIDDEN DANGER (rocks,oyster bars) in this area. Also mind your tides as you can get stuck on a bad tide easily. Good luck and keep us posted on your trip.

[PathFinder22]

You can run in the river at high tide until you get to maybe 1000 yards past the island (you will see it). There is a bar across the river right when you can first see the gulf (it is only exposed at very low tides, but I have bumped it), so slow down. Idle speed is then the rule until you are out past the NWR boundaries-there are some big mean and ugly rocks well outside the mouth of the river. If you have a smaller (like a john boat), a trip there during a winter low tide will be very sobering. Rocks EVERYWHERE! I have lost a prop and a foot there, because I got too cocky about where I could run on plane. The rocks move around and breed at night, so take it slow and you will be fine. Oh yeah, go to the right at the island (west), not to the left. (east) I will run the river at all but very low winter tides but stay right in the middle and watch for the big log just downriver from the ramp. Do you have Seatow? Also, plan your trip based on the tides. If you have a 22' Pathfinder, you are gonna find it difficult to load or unload at anything less than 1 foot of tide. The ramp just drops off, couple of cracks in the concrete and a one foot drop will mess up a trailer. A north or east wind runs the tide out faster than what the tide chart calls for and may leave you out of the mouth for a little while. Just do everything slow and don't get in a hurry and you should be okay. tunnel hulls were invented for places like Aucilla and Econfina, but even they take some local knowledge. Good luck and stay safe.

I really appreciate that info! Yeah I was gonna base it all on tides...calling for high tide at 9:37 am...so I am planning on launching at 7 or so and being back before 3 pm, when its supposed to drop below 1 foot. I do have Seatow but I sure hope I dont need to use them. I do have a 22' Pathfinder so I really appreciate the tidal loading/unloading info. I will be sure to monitor the wind direction. Trust, I am a really cautious guy when it comes to fishing new places. I will be sure to keep my motor jacked up and go slow. Hopefully I can post some good pics on here after! Thx again bud.

[PathFinder22]

Pathfinder, There's ususally some great fishing from Aucilla to Spring Warrior, one of my favorite places to fish. But right now the water might be still a little to stained from the past rains to produce many bites. From the past fishing reports in this area it seems that way. I would advise to fish Lanark or Carabelle until the water gets back to normal. My .02. Also something to be aware of if you are unfamiliar with the Aucilla area and fishing out of a 22 foot Pathfinder is there's a LOT OF HIDDEN DANGER (rocks,oyster bars) in this area. Also mind your tides as you can get stuck on a bad tide easily. Good luck and keep us posted on your trip.

Yeah I've been reading the fishing reports and Lanark looks like the best place. I havent made up my mind on changing just yet though. If weather permits I may run out to a little deeper water and try it out there. Tomorrow is mostly about getting familiar with a new place and letting my nephew see the sights...I hear the Aucilla has some cool scenery. It will great to catch some fish but as long as my little nephew has a great time...thats the most important. I will keep ya posted! Thx!

[Steve Stinson]

The rumors of the better fishing around Aucilla are normally true, but this year due to the rains it is terrible. There have been two fish kills over that way this Summer due to all the run off and dark water.

If I were you, I would not bother coming any further East than Alligator Harbor.

If you insist on running a Pathfinder down the Aucilla, there used to be a post on here with gps points going all the way down. It may be in the Tips and Tricks section.

- Steve Stinson

[PathFinder22]

The rumors of the better fishing around Aucilla are normally true, but this year due to the rains it is terrible. There have been two fish kills over that way this Summer due to all the run off and dark water.

If I were you, I would not bother coming any further East than Alligator Harbor.

If you insist on running a Pathfinder down the Aucilla, there used to be a post on here with gps points going all the way down. It may be in the Tips and Tricks section.

- Steve Stinson

Thanks Steve. I know the rains have been awful this year and earlier in the spring I was catching SOME fish at Carrabelle and Pt St Joe but wanted to try somewhere new. I have been reading about the fish kills over toward Aucilla and Econfina and I think I've changed my mind. I will go back over towards Lanark and try my luck there. Maybe this winter things will straighten out east of Alligator Harbor.

[Seachaser]

I have a similar boat and unless you have a jackplate, a one foot tide is trouble.

[PathFinder22]

I do have a jack plate.

We wound up going to Lanark Village and fished there. It was a great day to be out yesterday. We caught several sea bass, spanish and some other stuff I don't know the name of. Caught a few trout but everything we were catching was too short...we did not catch the first keeper. Did not get on any reds although I saw some boats out there with push poles trying to sneak up on some. We had a really good day and my nephew had a blast. The comments on here and after calling a few people around down on the coast...I figured our best chance was Lanark. I will give the Aucilla a little while to recoop. The rains have slowed to almost nonexistent up here in south GA so all that run off should be stopping, if it hasnt already. We will see in a cpl weeks when I come back down.